Staff
Dr. Richard Downie
Dr. Richard Downie
Richard Downie is President & CEO of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. He is also on the faculties of the Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point and Missouri State University’s Defense and Strategic Studies Program. Additionally, he chairs the Pacific Council on International Policy’s Mexico Initiative Advisory Board, and serves on the Boards of the World Hwa Rang Do Association and Westport Construction Inc., He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. A graduate of the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point (Class of 1976), he holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Southern California. Previously, Dr. Downie served for nine years as the Director (SES-3 level) of the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington, D.C., the Department of Defense’s regional security center for the Americas. At the Perry Center, he led a wide variety of courses, seminars and conferences on security and defense topics, as well as dialogues and workshops for ministries of defense and cabinet-level national leaders. During a distinguished military career, he held a wide variety of command and staff positions, serving as an Infantryman and as a Foreign Area Officer specializing in Latin America. Dr. Downie had several assignments in Germany; was an exchange officer in Colombia, where he completed the LANCERO (International Ranger) School as the distinguished graduate; worked at both the U.S. Army South and the United States Southern Command in Panama; coordinated Western Hemisphere affairs on the U.S. Joint Staff; served with the Multinational Specialized Unit in Bosnia; and was the Defense and Army Attaché in Mexico. His final U.S. Army assignment was in command of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), where he served as the Institute’s first Commander. Dr. Downie authored Learning from Conflict: The U.S. Military in Vietnam, El Salvador and the Drug War, Greenwood Press, as well as numerous scholarly articles and other publications. His military education includes the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff Course and the Defense Strategy Course. He was also a Fellow in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Seminar XXI Program. His numerous US and foreign awards and decorations include: the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious and the Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Service and Army Commendation and Achievement Medals, the Army Expeditionary Medal, the Inter-American Defense Board Medal, the Order of Military Merit (Colombia), the Bosnia/ Former Yugoslavia NATO Medal, the Order of Military Merit (Mexico), the Order of the Peruvian Cross (Peru), the Order of Merit for Democracy, Grand Knight level (Colombia), the Superior War College Medal (Colombia), the First Medal of Laws (University of Nuevo Leon, Mexico), and the Order of St. Maurice (Cdr-level).
Alexander Messmann
Alexander Messmann
Alexander Messmann has been with the Los Angeles World Affairs Council since 1987. He studied at universities in Germany and the United States and obtained a graduate degree in Public Administration from the University of Konstanz. Before starting his tenure at the Council, he had worked at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York and as a research assistant at the University of Konstanz.
Krista Seitz
Krista Seitz
Krista Seitz is the Programs Manager for the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. Before joining LAWAC, Krista was the Programs Manager for the World Affairs Council of Orange County coordinating over 30 in-person programs, 5 webinars, and a sold-out Gala. She earned her Master of Arts in Diplomacy from the University of Nottingham, where she also played for the women's football (soccer) & futsal team. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from San Francisco State University and studied abroad at Cardiff University in Wales her junior year. Her academic journey included active participation in Model European Union and Model United Nations conferences. Krista still plays on an adult women's soccer league three times a week, loves to read, and spends her weekends disc golfing with her partner. She has traveled to 12 countries and hopes to explore more.
Victoire Auguste-Dormeuil
Victoire Auguste-Dormeuil
Victoire Auguste-Dormeuil is the Director of Membership and Advancement for the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. She brings two decades of transatlantic business expertise, having graduated from the prestigious Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris and holding a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Victoire began her career in London's high-stakes world of mergers and acquisitions with Smith Barney, later acquired by Morgan Stanley. Her career then took a creative detour into the entertainment industry, working for MTV (Paramount Media Networks) and Fashion TV, and eventually launching her own music production companies in Paris. In 2002, she transitioned to Southern California, returning to her financial roots. She served as a financial advisor for industry giants UBS Wealth Management and Merrill Lynch, later moving into business operations management in the manufacturing sector. More recently, she founded Auguste-Dormeuil & Associates Inc., a consulting firm specializing in providing foreign businesses with comprehensive, end-to-end solutions for U.S. market entry and expansion. In recognition of her efforts in fostering connections among entrepreneurs and bridging relationships with public entities, Victoire was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce as a member of the District Export Council of Southern California (DECSC) in 2024. Fluent in French, English, and Russian, she is a global citizen and an intrepid traveler, having visited over 50 countries. Her passions extend to economy and philosophy, hiking, ocean kayaking, and the appreciation of fine wines.
Brianna Rieux
Brianna Rieux
Brianna Rieux is the Communications Manager for the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. As Communications Manager, Brianna will ensure members are informed about upcoming events and create digital content to share on our website and social platforms. Her previous experience includes social media and event management at a nonprofit organization in Fresno, California. Brianna holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Science in Journalism from the University of Southern California.